Multiple House Committees in Colorado Approve Bill to Allow Sealing of Marijuana Misdemeanors

A Colorado measure to allow those previously convicted of a marijuana possession misdemeanor to have the conviction sealed from their criminal record has been passed through three House committees.

House Bill 1266 was given approval by the House Judiciary Committee last week with a 9 to 2 vote; yesterday it passed the House Finance Committee unanimously, and today it was passed by the House Appropriations Committee. It will now be up for a vote in the full House of Representatives where passage will send it to the full Senate for consideration.

According to its official summary; “The bill allows persons who were convicted of misdemeanors for the use or possession of marijuana to petition for the sealing of criminal records relating to such convictions if their behavior would not have been a criminal offense if the behavior had occurred on or after December 10, 2012. The court shall order the record sealed after the filing fees are paid and the petitioner establishes the offense is eligible for sealing.”

Anthony, co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheJointBlog, has worked closely with numerous elected officials who support cannabis law reform, including as the former Campaign Manager for Washington State Representative Dave Upthegrove. He has also been published by multiple media outlets, including the Seattle Times. He can be reached at TheJointBlog@TheJointBlog.com.